#i didnt include everything bc my brain is kinda cloudy rn but yeah

[ettengiv]

I thought about this too!! Like my theory is that Tyler did create dema to cope. But Clancy is not the first cycle. I think all the banditos were once former cycle identities of Clancy and Torchie. I think like they did "die" in their cycles and got recycled to be the Banditos to help the new cycle to break, which is the Clancy cycle.

Someone also made a powerpoint that Clancy is not the Clancy from the letters which I also kinda agree with. It could be a former cycle identity. And the new cycle adopts that name because he finds the letters and wants to reach what past-cycle!Clancy wanted to reach.

I think this because the characters are based of something. The bishops and blurryface are based on fears and trauma. Torchie is very likely based on a dear friend, who is like a light to Tyler, so who are the Banditos? It could be his family, but it also could be former cycles. Because when you experience something traumatic it is very likely that you have to go trough several cycles. It is normal to have fall backs. Its a process that needs time.

We also now that Torchie does not really exist and is just a hallucination (see the outside mv or navigating where Torchie disappears). This supports the theory that everything is in Tyler's head. Torchie is just the guiding light to help the new cycle (Clancy) to find truth, acceptance and peace. Its also worth to note that Torchie appears when Clancy is ready to fight against Tyler's trauma. Like when Clancy steps into Trench outside Dema, Torchie and the banditos appear and they help him.

I think Dark!Clancy era will not end in death or anything. I think Torchie might find a way to reach Clancy. Maybe we will get songs from Torchie's pov to reach Clancy. I think the Clancy cycle is the last one and he will manage to close Nico and Blurryface away deep down inside him, since a past and trauma will always be a part of you but you can move on. You can win. You can continue. Things will get better.

All this talk of bishop!/dark!clancy has me thinking about "i created this world to feel some control, destroy it if i want" I've always taken this as tyler talking meaning the lore is a coping mechanism for him and that's why he created this world so maybe (don't really believe this tho) he is going in a dark direction to destroy this world and be done with it and open for new things creatively etc.

But if that line is part of the lore and comes from clancy then it could be very different. I haven't thought abiut this a lot but what if some earlier incarnation of clancy created dema but it didn't go as he planned/it was also only a coping mechanism for him to not have to deal with whatever and now he's taking back the power to destroy it after going to the cycle so many times?